Part 36 (2/2)
Osbaldistone's wounds were, however, very severe; and he was recommended to return home, which he did, and obtained his promotion as soon as he arrived. He was a pleasant messmate, and I was sorry to lose him: although--the lieutenant appointed in his room being junior to me--I was promoted to be first lieutenant of the brig. Soon after Osbaldistone went home, his brother broke his neck when hunting, and Osbaldistone came into the property. He then quitted the service.
We found the admiral at Barbadoes, who received O'Brien and his despatch very well. O'Brien had taken two good prizes, and that was sufficient to cover a mult.i.tude of sins, even if he had committed any; but the despatch was admirably written, and the admiral, in his letter to the Admiralty, commented upon Captain O'Brien's successful and daring attack; whereas, if the truth had been known, it was Swinburne's advice of pulling up the weather sh.o.r.e, which was the occasion of our capturing the _Victorine_; but it was very hard to come at the real truth of these sort of things, as I found out during the time that I was in His Majesty's service.
CHAPTER FORTY SIX.
O'BRIEN TELLS HIS CREW THAT ONE ENGLISHMAN IS AS GOOD AS THREE FRENCHMEN ON SALT WATER--THEY PROVE IT--WE FALL IN WITH AN OLD ACQUAINTANCE, ALTHOUGH SHE COULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS A FRIEND.
Our next cruise was on the coast of Guinea and Gulf of Mexico where we were running up and down for three months, without falling in with anything but West Indiamen bound to Demerara, Berbice, and Surinam, and occasionally chasing a privateer; but in the light winds they were too fast for us. Still we were useful in protecting the trade, and O'Brien had a letter of thanks from the merchants, and a handsome piece of plate upon his quitting the station. We had made sail for Barbadoes two days, and were within sight of the island of Trinidad, when we perceived six sail on the lee-bow. We soon made them out to be three large s.h.i.+ps and three schooners; and immediately guessed, which afterwards proved to be correct, that they were three privateers, with West India s.h.i.+ps which they had captured. We made all sail, and at first the three privateers did the same; but afterwards, having made out our force, and not liking to abandon their prizes, they resolved to fight. The West Indiamen hauled to the wind on the other tack, and the three privateers shortened sail and awaited our coming. We beat to quarters, and when everything was ready, and we were within a mile of the enemy, who had now thrown out the tricoloured flag, O'Brien ordered all the men aft on the quarter-deck, and addressed them: ”Now, my men, you see that there are three privateers, and you also see that there are three Indiamen, which they have captured. As for the privateers, it's just a fair match for you--one Englishman can always beat three Frenchmen. We must lick the privateers for honour and glory, and we must re-capture the s.h.i.+ps for profit, because you'll all want some money when you get on sh.o.r.e again.
So you've just half-a-dozen things to do, and then we'll pipe to dinner.”
This harangue suited the sailors very well, and they returned to their guns. ”Now, Peter,” said O'Brien, ”just call away the sail-trimmers from the guns, for I mean to fight these fellows under sail, and out-manoeuvre them, if I can. Tell Mr Webster I want to speak with him.”
Mr Webster was the second lieutenant, a very steady, quiet, young man, and a good officer.
”Mr Webster,” said O'Brien, ”remember that all the foremost guns must be very much depressed. I prefer that the shot should strike the water before it reaches them, rather than it should go over them. See that your screws are run up at once, and I will take care that no broadside is thrown away. Starboard, Swinburne.”
”Starboard it is, sir.”
”Steady; so--that's right for the stern of the leeward vessel.”
We were within two cable lengths of the privateers, who still remained hove-to within half a cable's length of each other. They were very large schooners, full of men, with their boarding netting triced up, and showing a very good set of teeth; as it afterwards proved, one mounted sixteen, and the other two fourteen, guns.
”Now, my lads, over to the lee guns, and fire as they bear, when we round-to. Hands by the lee head-braces, and jib-sheet, stretch along the weather braces. Quarter-master abaft, tend the boom-sheet. Port hard, Swinburne.”
”Port it is, sir,” replied Swinburne; and the brig rounded up on the wind, shooting up under the sterns of the two weathermost schooners, and discharging the broadside into them as the guns bore.
”Be smart and load, my lads, and stand by the same guns. Round in the weather head-braces. Peter, I don't want her to go about. Stand by to haul over the boom-sheet, when she pays off. Swinburne, helm a-mids.h.i.+ps.”
By this time another broadside was poured into the schooner, who had not yet returned our fire, which, having foolishly remained hove to the wind, they could not do. The brig had now stern way, and O'Brien then executed a very skilful manoeuvre: he s.h.i.+fted the helm, and made a stern board, so as to back in between the two weather schooners and the one to leeward, bracing round at the same time on the other tack.
”Man both sides, my lads, and give them our broadsides as we pa.s.s.”
The men stationed to the starboard guns flew over, and the other side being again loaded, we exchanged broadsides with the leeward and one of the windward schooners, the brig continuing her stern way until we pa.s.sed a-head of them. By the time that we had reloaded, the brig had gathered headway, and again pa.s.sed between the same two schooners, giving broadsides, and then pa.s.sing astern of them.
”Capital, my lads--capital!” said O'Brien; ”this is what I call good fighting.” And so it was; for O'Brien had given two raking broadsides, and four others, receiving only two in return, for the schooners were not ready for us when we pa.s.sed between them the last time.
The smoke had now rolled away to leeward, and we were able to see the effect of our broadsides. The middle schooner had lost her main-boom, and appeared very much cut up in the hull. The schooner to leeward did not appear to have suffered much; but they now perceived their error, and made sail. They had expected that we should have run in between them, and fought broadside to broadside, by which means the weathermost schooner would have taken a raking position, while the others engaged us to windward and to leeward. Our own damages were trifling--two men slightly wounded, and one main shroud cut away. We ran about half-a-mile astern from them; then with both broadsides ready, we tacked, and found that, as we expected, we could weather the whole of them. This we did; O'Brien running the brig within biscuit-throw of the weather schooner, engaging him broadside to broadside, with the advantage that the other two could not fire a shot into us without standing a chance of striking their consort. If he made more sail, so did we; if he shortened, so did we, so as to keep our position with little variation. The schooner fought well; but her metal was not to be compared with our thirty-two pound carronades, which ploughed up her sides at so short a distance, driving two ports into one. At last her foremast went by the board, and she dropped astern. In the meantime the other schooners had both tacked, and were coming up under our stern to rake us, but the accident which happened to the one we had engaged left us at liberty. We knew that she could not escape, so we tacked and engaged the other two, nearing them as fast as we could. The breeze now sprang up fast, and O'Brien put up the helm and pa.s.sed between them, giving them both a raking broadside of grape and cannister, which brought the sticks about their ears. This sickened them; the smallest schooner which had been the leewardest at the commencement of the action, made all sail on a wind. We clapped on the royals to follow her, when we perceived that the other schooner, which had been in the middle, and whose main-boom we had shot away, had put her helm up, and was crowding all sail before the wind. O'Brien then said, ”Must not try for too much, or we shall lose all. Put her about, Peter,--we must be content with the one that is left us.”
We went about and ranged up to the schooner which had lost her foremast; but she, finding that her consort had deserted her, hauled down her colours just as we were about to pour in our broadside. Our men gave three cheers; and it was pleasant to see them all shaking hands with each other, congratulating and laughing at the successful result of our action.
”Now, my lads, be smart;--we've done enough for honour, now for profit.
Peter, take the two cutters full of men, and go on board of the schooner, while I get hold of the three West Indiamen. Rig something jury forward, and follow me.”
In a minute the cutters were down and full of men. I took possession of the schooner, while the brig again tacked, and crowding all sail stood after the captured vessels. The schooner, which was the largest of the three, was called the _Jean d'Arc_, mounting sixteen guns, and had fifty-three men on board, the remainder being away in the prizes. The captain was wounded very badly, and one officer killed. Out of her s.h.i.+p's company, she had but eight killed and five wounded. They informed me that they had sailed three months ago from St. Pierre's, Martinique, and had fallen in with the two other privateers, and cruised in company, having taken nine West Indiamen since they had come out.
”Pray,” said I, to the officer who gave the information, ”were you ever attacked by boats when you laid at St. Pierre's?”
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